Beijing rolls out incentives to lure Taiwanese farmers to develop on mainland: report
China has unveiled measures to entice Taiwan farmers to develop agriculture and forestry businesses on the mainland despite barring pineapple imports from the self-ruled island last month.
The 22 incentives were effective immediately, under a joint launch by 11 ministries including the Taiwan Affairs Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the National Development and Reform Commission, state-run mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Some of the measures were insurance premium subsidies for Taiwan and Taiwan-funded firms, financial support, investment management, and help in developing the mainland market.
Late last month, mainland Chinese customs slapped a ban on Taiwanese pineapples, citing pest hazards. The ban was imposed after the situation failed to improve following 28 notifications issued by mainland China to Taiwan last year, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office.
“There has been no response from the Taiwanese side,” Zhu told reporters.
In a carrot-and-stick approach, Beijing has also intensified military drills of the People’s Liberation Army near the self-governing island, in defiance of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which is pro-independence.
The measures only benefit a few people, the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei remarked on Wednesday. No matter how many incentives were introduced by the mainland, it would be difficult to achieve any substantial results other than to deepen Taiwan people’s resentment toward Beijing and make the long-term development of cross-strait relations more vulnerable.
In response to the new incentives, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday that her people were currently at their most resilient and confident, and would be able to withstand pressure from the mainland. She warned that if Taiwan conceded, it “would become the next Hong Kong.”
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